WILLASTON councillor Brian Silvester has sent a petition to Central Government in a bid to save Crewe's Community Health Council.

The petition has been signed by local Conservative councillors and has been passed onto Eddisbury MP Stephen O'Brien.

The MP is now to pass on the petition to Health Secretary Alan Milburn.

The idea of the health councils is to play watchdog to the NHS locally and Cllr Silvester said: "These independent public watchdogs have worked hard to protect the interests of local patients and their abolition is an outrage," he added.

Proposals would see the Community Health Council in Crewe replaced with a Patient Advocacy and Liaison Service which would be based in the Mid-Cheshire Hospitals Trust, covering Leighton.

Critics maintain that because the service will be based within the NHS it may not be able to fully criticise the service as the Health Councils did.

BY PETE HENSHAW